


King For A Day

by strawberrylambda



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Bodyswap, Fighting, Friends to Lovers, Getting Together, Humor, M/M, Magic Misuse, Mild Ansgt, Pre-Canon, Rating May Change, References to bullying, brotherhood era, past child neglect references
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-06
Updated: 2019-03-07
Packaged: 2019-11-12 16:59:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,525
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18014807
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/strawberrylambda/pseuds/strawberrylambda
Summary: Prompto and Noctis have a fight, which leads to Prompto waking up in the royal chambers of the Citadel.And not in the sexy way.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Promptis: Freaky Friday style
> 
> I just kept listening to that Pierce the Veil song and even though it 100% has nothing to do with the fic but the phrase "King For A Day" was really fucking catchy
> 
> im gonna try to have rotating POV we'll see
> 
> the rating might change if i wanna write porn or something idk

Being friends with the Crown Prince of Lucis was downright exhausting, sometimes.

Noctis was never a morning person. He could never decide where to eat or what movie to see. He was a sore loser, and he was never on time for anything.

And for some ungodly reason, maybe that's why Prompto liked him so much. No matter how often they butted heads, they always came back to each other, and Prompto was downright thrilled to have found such a perfect best friend, royalty or not. 

Last night, however, definitely fell into the "butting heads" category. While Prompto cherished every moment the duo had together, there were always glaring differences that overshadowed their similarities. It was never anything that warranted talking, but it was always the little things, always prickling at the back of his neck, like a constant ache or a whisper. How Noctis grew up, how he was taught and raised by what felt like hundreds of men and women, calculating his every action like a dial.

How Prompto essentially raised himself, how he was always alone, always learning from his own mistakes by himself. He was always embarrassing himself, always left alone in the dust. He never had anyone. Noct had everything, and then some.

It couldn't be helped, but Prompto always felt like he didn't belong, standing next to royalty, even sitting next to him, cross-legged on the floor of Noct's apartment.  
Noctis just didn't get it. It was annoying. 

And sure, maybe Prompto snapped a little bit, maybe he said some things he didn't really mean, but Noctis struck a nerve that he absolutely _knew_ would piss the blonde off, so it was fair play to fight dirty.

Prompto didn't like fighting with his best friend, or fighting with anyone for that matter, but every time he clashed with Noctis, it almost felt deserved. Like this was the karma, what he deserves for being a commoner who "got in" with the Prince. It was a toxic thought, but he couldn't control it, especially if he thought it was true. 

He couldn't help but replay the night's events, all the yelling and condescending laughter, before Noct stormed out of his own apartment, probably heading to the Citadel, the one place he knew Prompto wouldn't feel comfortable following him in to. Cheap move.

How was it Prompto's fault that he wasn't raised in a palace? How Noctis didn't get how hard it was to always be in his best friend's royal shadow? 

Sure, the name-calling and cursing might've been a bit much, but Prompto still stood by his stance. Noct's life wasn't  _that_ hard, and he was sick and tied of having to pretend that he had the easy life.

 

He would understand if he had been in his shoes.

 

-

 

Prompto's head was pounding. It almost felt like a dull hangover, despite him knowing he didn't have anything to drink that night. His body felt heavy, like he was sinking into his bed. _His unbelievably comfortable, plush bed._

That didn't seem right. Prompto slept on the same cheap mattress he'd gotten when he was 13. He knew every dip and creak of it, and this was definitely not it. 

His eyes flitted open to the light dancing through what he assumed were his dusty blinds, only to find the soft light filtering through beautiful silk curtains, flowing down from tall, regal windows.

Prompto gently lifted himself onto his elbows, shifting around uncomfortably. His whole body felt like an itch that he couldn't scratch. The room surrounding him was undoubtedly Noctis' old room in the Citadel, complete with the empty spots where he had moved things to his apartment and the spot where he had misfired a firaga when he was 16 and scorched the floor. Prompto remembered, because he was there, and they laughed about it before realizing they should probably try to cover it up, before hastily tossing the rug over it. Obviously, this didn't fool Ignis and the two were forced to tell the king about their careless antics, while still giggling under their breaths.

  
He almost felt warm at the memory, before remembering the night before and suddenly coming back to reality. Why was he even here? He remembered storming out of Noct's apartment after him, before giving up and sulking all the way to his house, throwing the door open to an empty room (no surprise there, his parents hadn't been home in days), and collapsing onto his bed. His cheap, creaky bed. Not this gorgeous handmade Lucian cotton, surrounded by natural light and crystal reflections.

Prompto scanned the room. Obviously Noctis wasn't in the room with him, let alone the bed. Something felt terribly off. There must have been some gap in his memory, for him to forget leaving his home and ending up in the Citadel. 

 

The blonde's panic was interrupted by a rapping at the large door, echoing throughout the space. He jumped slightly, before swinging his legs over the bed to make his way to the entrance. 

 

A familiar voice muffled behind the door, stoic and elegant as always. "Your Highness, are you awake?"   
Prompto sighed with relief. Ignis. Maybe he knew why or when he ended up here. He opened his mouth to respond, telling him Noct wasn't here, but something caught the words in his throat. He looked down at himself. 

The black shirt he was wearing was obviously Noctis', and the boxer briefs were definitely far too dark to be anything he owned. He felt his skin absolutely heat up as to why he was wearing Noct's clothes. How was he supposed to face Ignis dressed in the royal heir's shirt and underwear. 

Prompto scrambled to find different clothes, before hollering a response to Ignis.

"Uh, gimme a sec!" He shouted through the door. 

Prompto gripped at his throat. "What...the..." His voice was deep. Way deeper than he'd ever heard it. It was almost raspy, probably from sleep. It was different, but it was certainly not unfamiliar. In fact, he sounded exactly like...

His search for clothes went completely out the window in a frantic search for a mirror. Noct had pretty much taken everything out of his old room when he moved out, but luckily his dresser and a small hand mirror (a gift from some royal family, probably) left on the side of the room next to the door.

Prompto gripped the mirror with shaky hands, lifting it to his face. Although, what he saw was most certainly not his face. 

He shrieked, dropped the mirror and stumbling backwards onto the polished marble, panting.

"Noct?" Ignis queued from behind the door, worry tinging his voice. Prompto's hand simply gripped at his chest, trying to steady his breathing. He scrambled to his feet, running up to the door, trying his best to maintain a tone that _wouldn't_ send the advisor into a frenzy.

"Hey, uh, Iggy? We have a problem." Prompto cracked the door open, meeting Ignis' worried gaze. 

"What happened? Are you okay? Do I need to alert the Kin-" Ignis began his panicked spiel before Prompto quickly cut him off.

"No! No don't tell His Majesty! I swear, we'll fix this." Prompto ran a hand through his hair, now silky dark instead of the flash of blonde he was so used to.

Ignis cocked an eyebrow at the use of "His Majesty" when addressing his own father, and Prompto started to panic. How would he even begin this? WAS there even a way to begin this.

His mouth (or Noct's mouth, now) decided to just go for it.

 

"It's Prompto." 

 

Ignis looked even more worried. "Why? What's happened to Prompto?" 

Well, that didn't help.

"No, no _I AM_  Prompto. I... something happened last night. Noct and I got into an argument and I guess he ran off here and I- I went home and then I woke up and I..." Prompto was starting to feel sick. "I'm... inside of Noct." Oh god, that was even worse.

 

Ignis took a moment. His face reflected the whole spectrum of emotions the man must've gone through right then. "You..."

 

Prompto looked around hurriedly, grabbing Ignis' wrist and dragging him into the room before slamming the door behind him. "I...I can prove it! I can tell you something only you and I would know! Like.. Like that time I convinced you to stop and get fast food on the way back from Gladio's and the lady in the drive through was totally hitting on you and you made me swear to never tell anyone that you ate fast food and got a girl's number in the same night!" 

 

Ignis' eyes went wide, mouth agape before shaking his head, almost trying to wake up.

 

"Oh my gods." 

 

Prompto was really starting to sweat. _Was Noct always this hot?_ He chalked that one up to the absolute ludicrous nature of the situation. He scanned the room, finding Noct's phone sitting on the nightstand, before making a lunge for it. Ignis was now pacing around the room with the focus of a murderer, hand on his chin, as if this was just another stupid recipe.

Prompto fumbled with Noct's phone, tapping in his password (they were best friends, why wouldn't he know the Prince of Lucis' lockscreen password?) and feeling his heart stop at the no new notifications, at least none from his own phone. It had to be early in the morning, and Prompto was always a morning person, so it doesn't make a whole lot of sense why he wouldn't have at least one new text from him.

Oh yeah, that was because he was currently occupying his best friend's body, like some sort of parasite. 

It wasn't until that thought that the cold reality began to wash over him. If he was here, in Noctis, where was, well... _he_? 

 

_Oh gods, that's confusing._

 

He took a deep, calming breath. 

"Iggy, you don't think... since I'm inside Noctis..." He didn't even want to think about the rest of that sentence. The thought that the crown prince was trapped in some commoner's body made his skin crawl, and it wasn't even his skin.

"It is highly possible that his highness is... currently with your body, at home, assuming you left yourself there." Ignis gritted out the words, as if there was some consequence to saying them.

That consequence was the undignified yelp Prompto let out before burying his face in his hands. 

Ignis pulled out his phone, no doubt attempting to cancel any important duties the Prince had for the day, before waving Prompto to follow him out of the room. 

 

"There are clothes in Noct's dresser there. Get dressed, we need to pay you a visit."


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Meeting the parents, but not exactly how Noct expected it to go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this one is noct's pov and i dont think ive ever put this much effort into a story before  
> and this chapter went in a COMPLETELY different direction than i originally had it so enjoy some warm stuff
> 
> also i know prompto's parents are his foster parents but here theyre more like adoptive parents hence why he calls them mom and dad okay  
> (their names are Leiyla and Artourus but its barely relevant dw)
> 
> also this whole thing is unbeta'd because im a filthy rebel and i also have no friends  
> generally i try to catch my mistakes but let me know if it becomes a glaring issue

Prompto just didn't get it. 

 

He wasn't just some pampered princess who sat in a tower. Sure, he had many luxuries growing up, but it wasn't fair to assume that his life was handed on a silver platter.

The accident left him always fearful of his blood, and the pressure that always loomed over him, to live up to expectations. The constant training, the image that always had to be maintained.

Noct never really had time to grow up like a normal teenager. He was never allowed to make mistakes, or the world would see them. 

Sure, he said some pretty awful things to his best friend last night, but it's not like they were unwarranted. It wasn't like Prompto grew up under a spotlight.

 

And yet, storming into the Citadel that night, huffing the cold night air, Noct had an overwhelming urge to turn around and apologize, ask for forgiveness so they could just sit and play King's Knight and eat junk food like they always had. Because to Prompto, that spotlight never seemed to matter. To him, he always just seemed like Noctis, not _Prince_ Noctis. 

In the end, he can't take back what he said.

 

He'd understand if he was the Crown Prince.

- 

Noct felt like he was made of lead, waking up to the cold air. It was odd for his room to be so cold, especially in the Citadel, where the temperate was at a constant pleasant state depending on the weather.

Something was stirring inside him, like a nauseous sting in his stomach.

Maybe he was just hungry.

Noctis grumbled into the pillow, attempting to reach for his phone on the side table, before stopping as his face dug into the soft linen. 

The smell was unmistakably Prompto's. It was sweet and clean-smelling, and Noct had always remembered the faint aroma of what almost smelled like flowers every time they brushed shoulders, to which Prompto flushed and argued that all deodorant was the same and it was pointless to label it for men and women.

The prince nuzzled into the pillow more, taking a deep inhale and suddenly feeling his body go lax. Maybe it was a bit creepy to like how much your best friend smelled, but it's not like it was ever anything he planned on sharing with anyone, especially not Prompto.

He sighed and came crashing back to reality, really questioning _why_ this pillow in his old room smelled so much like Prompto.

He tilted his head away from the plush cushion, finding himself in what was most certainly Prompto's bedroom in his parent's house. From the messy fairy lights strung above the bed to the mirror over the dresser, decorated in a massive abundance of ticket stubs and notes from girls and pamphlets from plays. The far side of the room was the most recognizable as Prompto's, completely plastered in photographs; all the blonde's, of course. 

Noct rubbed his eyes, trying to piece together why he was in Prompto's room, or more disconcertingly, why he was in Prompto's bed, his rather _small_ bed.

The sound of keys jangling into the front room indicated that someone was home. More than likely, it was the best friend in question. Noct wasn't entirely sure he was ready to face last night's events, but considering he got here somehow, they couldn't have been on _THAT_ bad of terms.

The indistinct chatter of a man and a woman replaced what Noctis assumed was going to be Prompto calling out for him. _Oh gods, Prompto's parents._

They had been friends for almost 4 years and yet Noctis had only met Prompto's parents in passing glances after school and in photographs. Never in person, and never in such a hard to explain situation. Hell, he couldn't even understand the situation, let alone explain it.

"Prompto honey, you home?" The woman called. Her voice was gentle, and suddenly Noct felt like he was deeply intruding on what should be a nice moment. He knew Prompto's parents had been gone for a few days. 

He took another good look around the room, before stopping at the mirror once again.

Prompto had so many things pasted up on it, it barely functioned as a mirror anymore, sans a few slivers of glass in the center and sides. Noct shuffled over to the mirror, intending to make himself more presentable to his best friend's parents. He peeled back a few magazine clippings and passed notes, just to find his hair in absolute disarray. 

His blonde, spiky hair, that was definitely attached to his pale, freckled head.

Noct had to clamp his hands around his mouth to keep himself from yelling, since causing a panic with Prompto's parents seemed like one of the worst things he could possibly do in this situation.

He didn't realize it until he looked down at his hands to find that he was in fact, shaking. Scanning his body, he knew these were not his own clothes, or at least the clothes he went to sleep in the night before. He had on a dark red tank top, "INSOMNIA" written in white lettering across the chest, and a pair of loose gray sweats. 

_Fucking Six, Prompto's parents._

The prince gasped out a response, completely taken aback by the sound of his voice, high pitched and _definitively_ Prompto.

"Y-Yeah!" Noct stopped himself, slowly wobbling on his feet, trying to regain his composure. Okay, he was in Prompto's body. That's a thing. And now he has to face his parents, who he knows absolutely nothing about. Even better.

Sliding out of the doorway and into the hallway leading into the living room, stood two figures placing their bags on the couch. The house was always small and Noct had grown rather fond of it in the few times he had been here. 

The woman turned towards him, smiling and walking to him, arms outstretched. She had dark hair cropped a little above her shoulders, and was just a smidge shorter than Prompto. 

"Good morning sweetheart, sorry we took so long! The weather coming out of Duscae was insane." She said warmly.

Noctis completely froze up when she wrapped her arms around him. The man had on a pair of bold spectacles, taking them off to clean them on his button-up. "Your mother nearly melted from the heat."

The prince tentatively wrapped his arms around the smaller woman, feeling her warmth on his skin. "H-hey Dad. And M-...Mom."

Something in him ached horribly to say "mom" again. 

The woman withdrew her arms and walked away to dig through her bag, pulling out a small black box before holding it out for him. 

"We picked this up at a little specialty shop outside of the factory. I wasn't sure if it was the right kind but your father seemed to know, so I hope it works just right." The man simply nodded behind her. 

Noct felt terrible, he wasn't supposed to be here, enjoying this moment. Nonetheless, he reached out and opened the top of the box, lifting the roll of delicate film between his fingers.

"It's special film, custom made in Duscae, we were super surprised to find it so close to the factory." Prompto's father stated.

Noct was completely speechless, he opened his mouth to blurt out a thank you, to pull them both into a hug, for Prompto's sake, but was interrupted by the sound of knocking on the door. Prompto's father moved to answer the door, and was met with the sounds of panicked arguing between two parties.

The door swung open, revealing a shocked Prince and his advisor in the doorway. The other Noctis (the one who actually had his face) looked at the couple, stunned.

"D-" He started, catching himself. He looked into the room, seeing Noctis, in his Prompto suit obviously, looking completely out of it. A flash of realization flooded his face.

"U-uh, hi. Um, I'm Noctis. Is... Prompto home?" He sputtered out. Prompto's father stepped aside, allowing the two to step inside. 

The man looked a little starstruck at the sight of the prince. "Of course, your highness. Leiyla and I were actually about to head out again." 

A spread of disappointment filled the other Noctis' face. "Ah. Okay, well um..." He nervously rubbed his neck. Luckily, the couple turned to wrap real-Noct into a hug, before saying their goodbyes and heading out the door again, shouting something about leaving grocery money and when they'd be back (even though it was never accurate.)

The door shut behind them with a deafening silence and Noct felt like he was shrinking in on himself.

Ignis was the first to speak. 

"If I'm correct in this assumption, you are currently inside Prompto's body, correct your highness?"

Noctis could only nod.

"And Prompto is currently in his highness' body, correct?" 

The other-Noct nodded as well. _Oh, the other-Noct is actually just Prompto. That's just wonderful._

The advisor clapped his hands together. "Wonderful. I'm going to make breakfast."

The two were left staring at each other, completely befuddled as Ignis left for the kitchen. 

Prompto closed his eyes, running his hands through his soft, black hair. "Please, _please_ tell me you didn't do anything stupid in front of my parents."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> im thinking an update either every 2 days or more if i can bring myself to do it? idk i guess id like to hear some feedback from you guys!! 
> 
> sidenote proms room being freezing cold is a reference to my own room not having any damn heating in the winter im very cold


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys try to recall the night's events, and Ignis gives Gladio a call.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woo another chapter. This story has a plot dw, I'll get there eventually. Thank you so much for the comments and kudos already! They are incredibly appreciated! 
> 
> god what am i doing

Prompto stared across the dining room table at the figure before him.

Sure, that figure was him, but the uncanny wilt behind his eyes was unmistakably Noctis. The way he fidgeted in his body, constantly adjusting his legs or tapping his fingers. Prompto almost laughed at how dumb he looked.

Which was unfortunate because, well, he looked like him.

Noctis cleared his throat. "So... Your parents seem nice." 

Prompto didn't respond, only the sound of Ignis chopping vegetables and eggs frying resonated through the small room. 

Noct swallowed, pushing a strand of blonde away from his face.

"Yeah, they're nice. When they're around." His deadpan response was even more dramatic coming from Noct's smooth voice.

The Prince looked away, clearly uncomfortable with having breakfast with himself. Luckily, Ignis had swooped in with plates of food, clattering on the counter. 

"There wasn't an abundance of ingredients to work with, but I made do, I believe." The advisor said, moving to wash his hands.

"No, it looks great Iggy, sorry about the fridge being so empty." Prompto praised, digging his fork into the fluffy eggs. He hadn't actually been grocery shopping in quite sometime, not so much as touching the money his parents frequently left for him. 

Probably in hope that they'd come back and they could cook dinner as a family, but he knew at this point, that was a ridiculous sentiment. 

Noctis grimaced at the chopped onions and peppers, as Prompto took a biteful, the prince scowled. "Please don't put vegetables in my body, I intend to get it back eventually."

Prompto scoffed. "Yeah, I feel like the pinnacle of health."

Ignis wiped his hands on a spare dishrag that Prompto was certain he had never seen in his life, as he settled in the chair between the two. 

"So, boys. Where do we begin?" 

Noctis slumped down in his chair. His eyes darted away from Prompto, as his face curled into a frown. "Nothing happened out of the ordinary happened last night." 

Prompto shot a glare at the Prince, huffing as he crossed his arms. "Right." 

Ignis wasn't so dense. 

"Boys, whatever this is, we can most likely solve it, as long as you're willing to cooperate." The advisor pushed his glasses up his face, before turning to face Prompto. "If our beloved prince here won't share the details, maybe you can enlighten me." Prompto opened his mouth to speak, before being cut off again.

"God, why does it matter what happened? Shouldn't we be focusing on fixing this?" Noctis gestured between the two of them, and was obviously getting increasingly more stressed out, his blush standing out on Prompto's pale face, highlighting his freckles. 

"We can't figure out how to fix this if we don't know what happened." Ignis retorted, fishing around in his pocket for his phone.

Prompto was starting to get irritable as well. Why couldn't he just tell Ignis they had a fight? Was Noct really that high-strung that he couldn't admit he was somewhat at fault?

"With how you talked last night, maybe you'd like it better if we didn't fix this." Prompto spat, averting his gaze from Noct. Noct narrowed his eyes in annoyance, crossing his arms as well.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" 

"You know what it means, _oh great Crown Prince of Lucis, my life is so hard why can't I be an easygoing commoner?_ "

Ignis tried to interject but was abruptly stopped by Noctis, rising to his feet. "You really think I want to have this argument again?" 

Prompto rose as well, hands on the table. "There isn't an argument to be had! You act like magic training and attending meetings is like, the _HARDEST_ thing ever and you don't even _know_ what it's like to be a normal person!"

" ** _BOYS! Enough!_** " Ignis' voice erupted from between them, stern enough to stop the argument but calm enough that the advisor maintained his composure. "It's clear to me that obviously something occurred between the two of you that left your friendship... strained. While this doesn't exactly explain much, it gives me a faint idea of why this happened, but not what."

Exasperated, Ignis lifted his phone to his ear, standing up and pacing around Prompto's living room. 

Noct was still fuming, but managed to push himself out from the table and follow his advisor, leaving Prompto alone at the table. _Gods, why did he have to be so infuriating sometimes?_  

Prompto took another glance at the room. It was strange seeing his kitchen with actual food and dishes in it, since Prompto tried his best to either eat all his meals at Noct's, or simply get take-out in an attempt to stay out of the empty house as much as possible. Something ached and worried him about how quickly his parents scurried out after pushing out their goodbyes, which Prompto didn't even get to say, because he technically wasn't even their kid right now.

Ignis returned to the table, cogs obviously turning in his head. "Noct, Prompto mentioned something about magic training, when was the last time you had performed a spell?" 

The prince tensed under the question. "Uhhh... last Thursday." 

Ignis didn't look amused. "That was your last _formal_ lesson. When was the last time you practiced magic?" 

Noct kicked at the carpet. "I might've wanted to try out some stuff with Prompto last night, but it was _definitely_ before we started arguing."

"It didn't go well. He shorted out the electricity in the whole building." Prompto interjected, earning another of many irritated glances from his best friend.

"Well, while I haven't exactly shared all of details with Gladio, I did inform him of a situation of a... _peculiar_ nature. I instructed him to gather as many books on arcane magic in the Citadel's library and bring them to Noct's apartment tonight. In the meantime, I have tried to excuse his highness from as many duties as possible. Unfortunately, there are a few matters which must be.... attended to." Ignis wrung his hands together. "Quite honestly, I have no idea how to remedy this. But in the meantime, we mustn't draw any unwarranted attention to the two of you." 

Prompto's stomach turned at the thought of being Noctis, before he felt a sudden wash of relief over him. _How hard could being the damn Prince be?_

The look on Noct's (well, technically Prompto's) face said that he had the same idea.

Ignis sat down on the old couch Prompto's dad got at a garage sale for a steal. It was hideous and Prompto was relieved to not have to look at it until this whole thing blew over.

"Prompto, I will help guide you through Noct's daily tasks and duties. Please try to maintain some form of diplomacy, although I'm sure Noct wouldn't fare much better." He said, eyes peering over his frames. Prompto scoffed.

"Easy."

Noct rolled his eyes.

"As for you, I assume Prompto can give you a general idea or schedule of what it is must be accomplished in these next few days." Ignis turned back to the two boys. He was surprisingly calm about the whole situation, and frankly Ignis' ability to be so analytical and relaxed in the face of adversity frightened him.

"I will meet you both at Noct's apartment tonight at 8 PM sharp. Please, in the meantime, do try to not murder each other." A faint smile twinged on the advisor's lips. "Prompto, with me." He waved his hand for the gunman to follow. 

Prompto pulled out Noct's phone, typing out a message with his errands for the day, before sending it to himself. 

"Okay, I have an afternoon class at the community college at 3. It's... nothing too important. I sent you the building number and just... bring my backpack. Other than that, I keep my keys in the front pocket of my backpack so... you know where they are." Prompto sighed, glancing at the empty house again. "Parents won't be home again for awhile so just... make yourself at home I guess. Please don't break anything." 

The prince nodded, checking his phone for the schedule.

Prompto turned his heels and followed Ignis out the door. 

"Hey, Prom?" Noct chirped. 

"Hm?"

"Don't... start any national emergencies or anything, okay?" 

Prompto smiled. 

"I'll do my best, _Prompto_."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter is a combo of some sads and some cute shit !!!!


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How hard could being Prompto be?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> we are getting somewhere maybe i promise  
> also i know gladnis is in the tags and its there but its more of an afterthought soz  
> writing noct for me is hard so sorry if the noct chapters arent as good (i relate to prom a lot more so his chapters tend to flow easier)
> 
> also theres a little bit of a mild bullying tw here;; i know that that's not exactly a thing when you're in college (theyre both 19 so) but trust me stupid drama exists no matter how old you get (im 21 and theres still dumb drama from my old college) its dumb af so just; willing suspension of disbelief here

The door shut and Noct was alone in Prompto's house.

Noctis let out a heavy sigh, like he had been holding his breath the whole time they had been here. Maybe he was and didn't even really notice it.

While he had concerns about Prompto walking around as him, he was even more scared of being Prompto. Sure, it wasn't going to be hard- he made that quite clear last night, but the uncertainty of living as someone else was nerve-wracking nonetheless.

He thought briefly about Prompto's parents. How kind they seemed, yet how they almost seemed... eager to leave. It was a confusing feeling, that he assumed only Prompto really understood. He glanced at the box of film they had given him. He had completely forgotten about it, and forgot to tell Prompto about it as well. It felt important, so he figured he'd bring it tonight when they all met up at his apartment.

Noct grabbed the box and headed towards Prompto's room. Tossing the box in Prompto's backpack, he checked the time on his friend's phone. Maybe they should have switched phones, or maybe that would have been too obvious.

He had a good four-ish hours until he had to get to Prompto's university class. Hell, Noct didn't even know Prompto attended classes at the community college. He always figured he just... well, actually. Noct wasn't really sure what Prompto did in his spare time. It's not like he never asked, Prompto just wasn't always adamant on sharing his private details.

Now, Noctis never considered himself an overly nosy person, and for the most parts, what his friends wanted to do in their free time was none of his concern. But since the opportunity to do some high-tier snooping in Prompto's room, he figured that it couldn't hurt to do a _little_ bit of exploring.

At first glance, Prompto's room was pretty standard. Messy and cluttered but charming, nonetheless. The pictures he had hung up on the far wall ranged from selfies to group shots to gorgeous landscapes and artistic angles of the streets of Insomnia. He had a few band posters and a large King's Knight one directly over his bed, which Noct recognized as the one he had gotten him for his birthday a year ago. 

Various camera parts sat at his desk, along with a few notebooks filled with what looked like science notes, probably for his university class. Noct moved to the desk, fidgeting through the papers, finding a few crude doodles and reminders. He turned back around to face the bed, messy and also littered with clothes. 

However, a peculiar article of clothing caught Noct's eye almost immediately. Tucked under the pile of Prompto's clothes was unmistakably a jet-black hoodie that Noct had lost about a week ago. He pulled it from under the pile, shifting it in his hands. Strangely, he had an urge to bring it to his face, and sure enough, it still smelled like his apartment, earthy with an almost clove-like aroma. 

Noctis felt himself blush, gripping his hoodie. He had asked Prompto if he had seen it or left it in his room, and the blonde had coolly responded that he probably left it in the Citadel without realizing it. The Prince assumed as much, never that his best friend had simply kept it. Why had Prompto even kept it in the first place? If he wanted to borrow it, Noctis would've more than let him.

Well, it was with his things on the bed, obviously it hadn't been washed since its disappearance, and Prompto hadn't told him he even had it.

The sudden thought of Prompto keeping his hoodie, pressing it gingerly to his face and taking in the smell of his best friend, on the long nights when they hadn't seen each other in days flooded his mind, and Noct had to shake his head from the thought, before it could get _too weird_. It had to be some weird misunderstanding, right?

Thankfully, Prompto's phone buzzed a soft "Kweh" alert, and he saw he had a new text from Ignis.

 

 

> **Iggster, 11:16 am:**

> _Your highness, I am certain that whatever this is can be fixed. Prompto is holding up, or at least that is how I am perceiving it. Gladio has informed me he might have found something. Please hang tight until tonight._
> 
> _And do try your best not to embarrass Prompto in the meantime._
> 
>   

-

 

Noctis nervously circled the college campus, trying his best to seem inconspicuous enough as if he went here all the time, yet he still managed to pass the correct building at least twice before.

Entering the classroom, it was obviously a science class, from the anatomy diagrams to the power point already on the board, about genetic variables. Noct gulped nervously, adjusting Prompto's backpack on his shoulder. He had absolutely no idea what any of this was about, but he figured if he could just wing it for the next hour and a half he'd be fine. 

It suddenly occurred to him that he had no idea where Prompto sat, or if there was even assigned seating, and _oh gods he was starting to panic._

He found a seat not too far from the professor and not too close to the back of the classroom, off to the side where he couldn't draw attention to himself. Sure, that seemed like somewhere Prompto would sit.

Nervously placing his backpack on the floor and as he began to rummage through the stack of papers in it, before a dark shadow began to fill over him.

Noctis turned his head up, finding a smug looking guy standing above him, ugly, dark hair messily brushed over his eyes. 

"So you're sitting here now?" He queued. His voice was tinged with sarcasm, but in a sure, condescending manner. 

Noct froze up, stuttering to find a response. He really could not tell if this guy was a friend or a foe right now.

"Should I... not be?" He meekly responded. The dark-haired guy simply chortled, with a redheaded girl giggling behind him. 

"Whatever you want, blondie. Didn't think you'd ever want to move from your little perch in the front, teacher's pet." 

A few things struck Noctis at once. First, he didn't like how this guy called him "blondie". Noct had always used that nickname for Prompto as an endearing term, when they played video games or exchanged music. Second, apparently Prompto sat in the very front, which warranted him a teacher's pet label. And third, that tone was definitely _not_ friendly, and suddenly Noct was on high alert.

The professor luckily waltzed in shortly, an older man with angry eyebrows. He immediately noticed Noctis away from what he assumed was his usual seating. "Is there any particular reason you've decided to move further away from the lecture today, Mr. Argentum?"

More snickering from Emo Hair and his ginger groupie. 

"I, uh. I just wanted to be...closer to the window today." _Really Noctis, that was a stupid answer._

Luckily, the Professor (whose name Noctis wasn't even going to attempt to pronounce and really hoped he didn't have to) brushed it off nonchalantly, and continued with the lesson. 

 

The class passed rather normally, until Noct was called on for a question. Something about punnett squares that had the prince hastily flipping through Prompto's notes, struggling to find the answer. 

Professor foreign-name was obviously unamused. "Really Mr. Argentum, this is basic-grade level biology. My brightest student can't solve a simple genetic variable?" 

Noct heard a sneer from his right. He tried to avert his gaze from the rest of the class, but the unspoken embarrassment of making Prompto look bad crawled up his back and made him shiver.

 

The lesson ended at about four-thirty and Noct had never felt himself move quicker in his life, he so desperately craved to warp-strike out of that room. Emo-Hair however, bumped shoulders with him before he could fully dash out the door. "What happened today, blondie? You get stupid or something?" 

Gods, Noct wanted to deck this guy in the face. "I have to go." He turned tail and shoved himself past the boy, face red with anger. They were in college for Six sake, was this guy being serious right now?

"Hurry off, don't want to keep your Princess waiting!" The boy laughed, as Noct scurried off. 

If this is how this guy always talked to Prompto, Noct was going to have some sort of royal decree about having his fed to the saphyrtails. Then again, it's not like Noct was any nicer the other night. He felt his heart sink a little at the sentiment.

 

Walking back home, the prince furiously typed out a text to his number. He had no idea if Prompto was even checking his phone right now, but he'd have to see it eventually and he couldn't wait until tonight.

 

> **Me, 4:47 PM:**
> 
> _Who the actual fuck is that absolute jerk-off in your biology class? And why are you even taking biology anyway?_
> 
>  

Noct didn't get a response until he was shoving the keys to Prompto's front door in the lock, hearing the blonde's stupid chocobo alert tone.

 

> **prince charmless, 5:22 PM:**
> 
> _Oh good, you've met Cav. :P  and its required in my core classes if i wanna take my photography classes (；一_一)_
> 
>  

Noct gave a little eye roll at his name in Prompto's phone, tapping out his response and kicking the door behind him.

 

 

> **Me, 5:25 PM:**
> 
> _Well he sucks and i hate him. you seem good at it tho, the prof expected a lot from u_
> 
>  
> 
> **prince charmless, 5:26 PM:**
> 
> _what can i say, im a prodigy  (づ￣ ³￣)づ_
> 
>  

Smiling, Noct checked the time again, all while collapsing onto Prompto's bed. He kicked at the pile of clothes, freeing his hoodie from the top of the pile when he threw it back into the mess. He really was baffled as to why Prompto had it after Noct was obviously asking for it. It's not like he was mad, more so just confused as all hell. 

He had to meet his friends at his apartment in a little over an hour, and he wondered if he should bring anything for Prompto from his house. He had the gift from his parents, some of his notes at his own request, and his camera of course-

Noct reached for his black hoodie, holding it thoughtfully, before slipping it around his shoulders. It was his, anyway, might as well bring it back tonight. Maybe Prompto just forgot he had it.

_Come on Noct, it was with the rest of his recently worn clothes, there's no way he didn't know he had it._

 

Oh well, it was going to be cold tonight anyway.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hmmm i might bust out another chapter soon we'll see! again thank you all so much for the comments and kudos! writing keeps me sharp since im not in college at the moment! c: i have a few more ffxv stories i wanna get out soon as well <3


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